Something’s Ain’t Charity
by Elenhin
Summary: Something’s isn’t charity, but they might not always be easy to accept either. A good man is one who knows when he needs help…. OneShot


Author's Note: We all know how the Dukes are the first to offer a helping hand, and yet they are also very proud and don't want to admit to needing any themselves. It seems to me that if everyone tried to deny needing help, it would be pointless to offer it, and sometimes, everyone needs a hand….

Big thanks to my loyal betas, I appreciate the help so much

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**Something's Ain't Charity**_

"**Well, I don't know exactly what happened here, but I can tell it's not good. It has Jesse all riled up, and feeling all helpless. Actually, I think that there is something that he needs to learn, and sometimes, life makes those things a hard lesson…."**

Now we can't take this." Jesse objected. "We Duke's don't take charity from anyone."

Cooter shook his head. "Two things here uncle Jesse. It ain't charity, and ya ain't got the right to turn it down if it were. This ain't the Duke pride were talking about here, this is something entirely different." He looked Jesse in the eye as he spoke.

"Look Cooter, I just don't know if we could ever pay you back." Jesse objected again.

"An' I couldn't care less if ya did." Cooter was as serious as he had ever been, and he wasn't really well known for the trait, still, it was obvious now. "You've always told us that there is some things that are worth more than money, anyways."

"Sure Cooter, but I still couldn't accept this. Ya'd be risking things ya'self, and I just can't accept any charity."

"Was it charity when those two nephews of yours patched up my barn roof last spring?" Ol' Johnson asked. "I didn't have a penny to pay them for it, was it charity Jesse?"

"Was it charity when them two boys plowed my fields when my tractor broke down." Farmer Dannigan asked in turn.

"This is different." Jesse insisted. "We're talking about a lot of money here."

"Oh yeah," Cooter nodded. "This is different alright. "Ain't no leaky barn roof on the line here. It's Bo, and whatever he'll ever be able to walk again. An' if we here can raise the money for that surgery he needs for it, ya ain't got the right to deny it uncle Jesse. Even if it were charity, if I had to look at him every day and know I could've pitched in and didn't, I'd hate myself."

"Aw Cooter, you know I'd do anything for that there boy, but were talking about more money than any of us here has." Jesse shook his head in defeat; he had given up when he heard how much the surgery was gonna cost. As it was, they risked losing the farm to cover the hospital bill. Luke was with his younger cousin at the hospital, and Bo had given up as well. That was why Luke was there, because Bo had given up, and resigning to a fate of never walking again wasn't easy for him. Not ever walking again, also meant never driving again, and that was even harder on him.

That was the end of everything that Bo had ever dreamed about.

* * *

_Bo slammed on the breaks as he wrestled with the steering wheel, maybe if he was in the General Lee he could have made it. Seeing as how the General was a racecar, modified for that kind of driving. Maybe if he had been driving the General with the reinforcements he would have stood a better chance. As it was now, he didn't manage to get out of the way, the drivers side of the car he had borrowed from Cooter faced the truck that had been coming at him at full speed on the narrow rode, and there was no way for Bo to get out of the way in time. The big truck slammed into the side of his car and sent it flying, not even stopping to see what happened to the young blonde in the car it had just rammed. It was better to get away fast, since the drunk driver in an accident would always be the one to be convicted. _

Bo snapped awake with a scream that near sent Luke tumbling out of his chair. He hurried to kneel by the bed instead, taking Bo's hand in his own two hands to reassure him. He didn't need to ask what he had dreamed about, Bo had suffered the same nightmare ever since the accident. He dreamed about the crash. No wonder really, it had been a nightmare experience for the young man, and it hadn't ended yet.

Unless Bo was able to have some seriously expensive surgery within the next week, he wouldn't ever walk again, and they both knew there was no way they could raise that kind of money. So Luke didn't know how to comfort him. How could he tell him it would all be okay, when he knew it wasn't?

* * *

"Point is uncle Jesse," Cooter went on. "I couldn't care less if I lost the Garage at all, not when it's about Bo, and it ain't nothing like charity either, Bo and Luke has stuck it out for me more times then I can count, time to repay the favor." 

"Those two boys has always been more than ready to help all of us." Farmer Dannigan added. "Always Jesse, and never asked anything in return, this time, we'll all pitch in with what we can."

Jesse nodded, he was glad that they were ready to do it, it made him feel so proud that they all liked Bo so much they were willing to give up all of their savings for him, but on the same, he knew how many years it had taken them to scrape together those meager savings, and some wouldn't be able to do it again. It wasn't all Duke pride that made him want to turn them down. How would Bo feel if he could walk again, but it was at the expense of Cooter's Garage, or Farmer Dannigan's farm. That it was because of him that Ol' Johnson would never get that new tractor he needed. Still, there were things more valuable than money, and Bo walking was one of them.

He had seen the boy's face as they told him, both what the situation was, and what the surgery would cost. It had broken hi heart anew when he saw the boy try to comfort him, saying that it didn't matter none, that he understood. He had raised Bo from an infant, he had been there when the baby took his first step, and imagining that he had also seen him take his last ones was more than he could take.

* * *

The Boar's Nest was as crowded as it had ever been. Everyone they knew had crowded in there, all of them brining most of their lives savings with them. Some had more, some had less, and Jesse did his best to make sure he knew who gave what, hoping to pay it back some day. It was however Cooter and Daisy who collected it all and counted how much they had. 

At any other time Jesse would have grinned at Cooter's behavior, he knew the boy was more responsible than he let on. He had just known Cooter would be the one to stay calm and handle a crisis if he had to.

Yet once everyone had pitched in, Cooter still shook his head. "We're about five thousand short." He declared. "And that is the least we need."

A depressed silence spread over the room, then Cooter sighed inwards, took a deep breath and spoke again. "Boss, ya can buy my Garage if ya want it?"

The depressed silence was exchanged for a round of startled gasps. Neither of them had expected Cooter to give up that Garage. Even if he could always open it up somewhere else, he had a good position for it, and he would lose that. For a moment Boss Hogg's face lit up with a triumphant grin, but then it faded again. He counted out a few bills from the stash he always carried on him, and thrust it to Roscoe, motioning to him to go add them to the box where Cooter and Daisy had the rest of the money they had raised.

"As much as I wanna catch 'em Duke boys, I wanna do it fair and square." He said with a sad look at his money. "It would be too easy to catch him if he couldn't walk when I did." Then as if he couldn't stand it if someone should think he had just done a deed of kindness, he headed into his office.

Cooter and Daisy counted through the money once more. Then Cooter looked up again. "Uncle Jesse." He said in a grave voice.

Jesse looked at him, expectantly, and fearfully.

"Call 'em over to the hospital and tell them they had better get started doing whatever it is they're gonna do, cause we've got enough here." Cooter grinned, and let out a loud whoop as Daisy threw herself around his neck.

Jesse felt tears come to his eyes as all the fears that had haunted him for the last days faded away. It was going to be alright after all. He glanced towards the closed office door. J.D might put it anyway he wanted, but he knew what had swayed the man, the knowledge that Bo and Luke would have sold their own boots for him had the need been. J.D wanted to lock up the boys, but he didn't want to see them hurt, and he had forced Roscoe on patrol day and night trying to catch the truck driver who had hit them.

As he headed over to the phone, every one in the room wanted to clap his shoulder and shake his hand, Jesse shook them all in turn. Then he managed to get Luke on the phone and told him. For a second he wondered if some little green goblin had swallowed the phone line, as Luke got all quiet, then came the holler of joy and relief.

Luke couldn't have cared less that he wasn't supposed to run in the hospital, he couldn't care less that Bo was supposed to be resting and he shouldn't wake him up, he couldn't care less if he let out a shout of joy, he just cared about telling his baby cousin that all would be alright after all.

Bo barely dared to believe it, he shook his head and begged Luke to quit pulling him along, he just didn't dare to believe it.

* * *

Bo could hardly believe it, it seemed as if all of Hazzard was there. On the other hand, he reckoned, since most of them had put down their lives savings, he reckoned they wanted to know where their money had gone to. It still made it a very strange experience going to the Boar's Nest. He had managed the first few fumbling steps a week before at the hospital, and by now he could get along well enough if he used the crutches, though he was grateful, very grateful for Luke standing ready to catch him should he fall. 

It was strange to know all of them had been willing to do so much for him, even as he grinned at them, thanked them, and accepted all of their half hugs, praying none of those would tip him over.

The best was however knowing they would soon have their money back. Enos and Roscoe had caught the truck driver, a known drunk driver from the next county, and one who was now charged with paying for it all. It had been a choice between that and prison, and the drunkard had decided they wouldn't have any shine in prison, so he had decided to pay instead.

Bo was just grateful that he could walk, and they would get all of their savings back, even Boss Hogg, even him who now peeked out through his office door, nodded as he saw Bo, and then disappeared again.

Bo couldn't help but chuckle, Hogg would never admit to caring, but he did. He grinned at Luke, and made his way to the bar, where Daisy was already waiting with a beer for him, with family and friends like those around him, he never really worried about anything.

**"Now ain't that something you're happy to see. I sure am. See, that's the thing with Hazzard, it always seems to work out for everyone in the end, and don't you ever doubted that Jesse feels like he made the right choice. He might wish he could care for them boys all on his own, but he ain't about to let them suffer for his pride..."**

The End.

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


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